Whitson named Tornado Athlete of the Week

November 25, 2008

Brevard men's basketball player Jonathan Whitson has been named Tornado Athlete of the Week for the 13th week of the 2008-09 athletic season. Whitson earned 24 of the 40 votes cast by visitors of BCTornados.com, or 60%.

Whitson dominated the hardwood last week as Brevard opened the season 3-0. Against Warren Wilson on Tuesday, the Clyde, N.C. native scored 29 points and 13 rebounds en route to a 70-42 victory. Two nights later against Lees-McRae, the junior scored 22 and ripped down 12 boards, as the Tornados overcame a 33-26 victory, dominating the second half on the way to a 72-63 win.

Whitson and the Tornados saved their best for Erskine on Saturday. Facing a capacity Homecoming crowd, the Tornados earned a hard-fought 59-55 victory on the strength of Whitson's 16 points and six rebounds.

For the week, Whitson averaged 22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. For the season, Whitson is third in the South Atlantic Conference in scoring and tied for first in rebounding.

"First of all, I would like to thank God that I could receive this honor," said Whitson. "I may have played well individually this week, but I owe to my teammates that we were able to earn three victories. Without them, I would not have been able to receive this award."

The Tornado Athlete of the Week is determined by a fan poll on the frontpage of BCTornados.com. Candidates for the Tornado Athlete of the Week award are announced and voting opens every Saturday night at 10 p.m. Voting closes on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.